"So this has to do with the disappearance of Kellet." he mulls this over for a moment.
"The Admiral should probably hear about this, yes. Follow me."
He leads you to Arronax's audience chamber.
"Sir, these men are here to see you. They found something strange in Roweena Kellet's possession. A Chalaxian ledger, with your name on it, among others."
Arronax strokes his short cropped beard.
"Explain your suspicions. Leave out no details."
Odan bows, respectfully.
As you command, Lord Arronax.
Odan straightens up, and then begins his oratory:
This all started some months ago, as we were under suspicion that the Chelaxian Navy may seize the Shackles. For what purpose, we do not know, but we embarked upon a quest to uncover the truth. This rumor first came to my dear Captin Jhrak at a dinner party held by the Lord Captain Tessa Fairwind.
We sailed out to investigate, following two potential leads - temple in Quent and a temple on Bag Island. Both seemed to have some knowledge of the Chelaxian Navy, but refused to offer said information without due favors. We completed the favors and acquired a name. One Jaymiss Creft, a scrimshander and rumor monger out of Drenchport. He claimed to have heard of Chelaxian spies.
So we took to the seas to give him a visit - which I must mention was well worth it for this nice little ivory carving by itself.
Mister Creft gave us the name of a Haddon Pike - a local fisherman and smuggler who never seemed to work with any actual fish or smuggle any actual goods. Prime suspect, yes?
It was trivial to locate his home, and him inside it, dead. His face chewed off by piranhas in a fish tank. Someone was trying to make his face unrecognizable. A thorough searching of the premises uncovered a written opera with an embedded secret code.
This secret code was from Roweena, and instructed him to keep an eye out for ships owned by the Master of Gales in Drenchport. Roweena wrote that she would be in Hell Harbor for the next few weeks if he needed to find her.
So we came here to speak with her, and we found her missing. Talk around town is that she's an ex-naval officer for Cheliax, and she's disappeared. We uncovered her address and found the locale ransacked. Amongst the debris was this ledger. Whoever ransacked the place was either incompetent or was trying to make the place looked thrashed without actually destroying anything important.
This ledger lists all the pirate lords in the shackles, with a gold amount next to each one - except for yours, where it simply lists a dash. I suspect your dislike of Cheliax has something to do with that. Perhaps they cannot bribe you or make a deal with you like they may be able to with the other Lords. I say this, because the ledger suggests that every other pirate lord has either been bought off by Cheliax or whoever wrote this ledger to side with them - or they have bought off their men to mutiny at opportune moments.
And this is why we have come to speak with you.
Arronax snorts.
"You're close. That dash doesn't mean they don't think they can bribe me, it means they refuse to try. They will accept nothing less than my capture and execution."
"So, what exactly is it you want my help with?"
Ask him if he has any idea what they're up to, or better, how we can stop them.
Indeed. And if he knows or can find out who Roweena interacted with on a regular basis.
Odan pauses for a moment, as if in thought.
Tk. We wanted several things with you. First and foremost, we wanted to know if you had insight behind any of this. Equally important, though, was that if you did not have any insight or knowledge on this matter, we wished to warn you.
We had hopes that in providing you with this potentially valuable information, you could either assist us or guide us in our endevours. We wished to know who or what this threat is, who is behind it, and how to stop it to keep the Shackles free.
We wished to know if you have any information pertaining to Roweena and her associates so we may follow that lead - or better yet a more significant lead.
And finally, we wished to show you (if the time ever comes) - that we, the Captain Jrahk and his crew of the Devil's Pallor - are folk with whom you may place trust.
"I'd need time to investigate. I wasn't aware Roweena was a spy, but their existence isn't surprising. Cheliax has wanted control of the Shackles trade routes for a long while now. It's the main reason they're so hardline on pirates in the first place."
"I can look into the matter and send you and Tessa my findings if you wish, though those efforts may be redundant with your own. I won't overlook that you brought this to me of your own volition, however. Initiative and loyalty are two virtues I value highly."
Jrahk will nod his thanks before leaving, so that it looks like he has at least some agency as captain.
"So, uh, I guess we should tell that cutie, lady Tessa, and tell her the rumors are true?"
"Dammit, Ace. Think with the upper head."
Odan is going to try to discretely ask about chelaxian spies or assassins or just naval members in the city.
The first roll is diplomacy to gather information, the second roll is either stealth +6 or Bluff +3 to try to keep it under wraps.
And he'll pay out silver coins to keep people's mouths shut. If he absolutely has to, he'll even pay out gold.
As you might expect, the average citizen knows nothing about this. Some mention Roweena being suspicious, but you knew that already.
You go back to talk to the scrimshaw expert about the scrimshaw, and he tells you he recognizes the guy: The Tengu is a guy named Corlan.
...Who lives in Hell Harbor.
"Son of a b~~++."
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Jrahk's eye twitches.
"Ixrul, summon something for Jrahk to kill."
Ixrul conjures a wolverine for Jrahk to kill.
So, back at Hell Harbor, Odan is able to turn up that he lives in Hell Harbor's Tengu rookery, at the end of a T intersection.
"Sure, they even have a enclave for birdmen, but I haven't seen any other kitsunies around..."
"Even though I was human."
"Sure, they even have a enclave for birdmen, but I haven't seen any other kitsunies around..."
"Even though I was human."
Odan looks at Ace inquisitively, You were human?
"Oh, right, I never told you, I died and got revived in this fox body during our adventures, long story, lots of bleeding." Ace replies casually.
We go to Corlan's place. How ransacked does it look?
It doesn't look ransacked at all.
Wow. A lead that isn't dead.
Jrahk pounds on the door.
A moment later, a Tengu answers.
"Yeah? What do you want?" it's hard to tell with the beak and feathers, but he may be attempting to scowl at you.
"What do you know about a man named Haddon Pike?"
Jrahk cracks his knuckles. "Be honest. Jrahk doesn't like liars."
"Haddon? I wo-" Corlan manages, before a shot rings out.
A bullet rips a MASSIVE hole in Corlan's chest, the shot nailing him directly in the heart. He drops dead instantly.
You spin around and see a blond man looking down the sight of a musket at Corlan from a rooftop 80 feet away. For good measure, he cracks off another shot from the second barrel.
Nailing Corlan's corpse in the forehead, and assuring the man that the Tengu is, indeed, quite dead.
The guy, except with a musket instead of a crossbow.
Ixrul (32)
Giles (20)
Jrahk (20)
Odan (12)
Ace (7)
Ixrul puts a hand on Jrahk and Ace, and dimension doors so they'll be on the roof behind Giles. He will put the Orc and the Kitsune between him and the gunslinger.
"This is your only chance to surrender. If you don't, I'll pry the information I need from your corpse."
Giles snorts.
"Have fun with that."
Giles does not even try to fight you. He Runs, quite swiftly.
He moves 40 feet to the opposite side of the roof, and does a backflip off of it. You hear the sound of rope sliding through gloved hands, then feet hitting the street below, and pattering away.
Jrahk activates his eyepatch's Expeditious Retreat, then uses his Quick Runner's Shirt to catch up with Giles.
"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM JRAHK!!"